50 years ago: Two lost hunters were located by a large search and rescue team after they failed to return from a hunting trip. Search and Rescue teams from Brisco, Invermere and Kimberley took part, and found the hunters camped in a makeshift lean-to about 11 miles west of Brisco, near the Bugaboo River. The hunters were found cold, wet, and hungry, having only caught a squirrel to eat during their trip.

45 years ago: Invermere residents were praised for the respectful attitude with which they treated a parade that made its way down Bruce Avenue in Invermere. The Kimberley Pipe Band led the parade, which consisted mainly of Veterans and Ladies’ Auxiliary members.

40 years ago: Voters were set to decide on the amalgamation of Athalmer, Westside and Invermere. The three municipalities already shared  services such as fire protection and waste management, and the amalgamation was expected to enhance community planning for amenities such as subdivisions and recreational services.

35 years ago: A large crowd gathered for casino night at the Columbia Valley Sports Centre. More than 700 people attended the gala evening, which featured games of chance, disco music and a large range of refreshments. Profits from the event were to be used to provide amenities at the Sports Complex.

32 years ago: War was declared … against the mountain pine beetle. The small insect had ravaged pine forests in the south eastern part of the province, and was reaching, “epidemic proportions.” A CFI representative estimated that 20 years worth of lumber had been wiped out from the upper Kootenay, which he said represented 80 per cent of the forest industry’s pine.

25 years ago: The Columbia Valley Rockies hockey team defeated the Cranbrook Colts 8-2. The Rockies had out shot the Colts 26-4 in the second period alone, and had scored 24 goals in three games while only allowing six.

20 years ago: Then Premier Rita Johnston of the Social Credit Party visited Invermere, accompanied by, “a clicking, whirring, bustling busload of big city media types,” for an hour-long talk at the local Christian Education Centre. The Premier defended her party from opposition accusations, including NDP accusations that she was planning on instituting healthcare user fees if elected.

15 years ago: Radium Hot Springs was the centre of a media onslaught as the Vancouver Sun had reported that the town was being considered for a Monte-Carlo type casino. When Radium mayor Greg Deck was asked by reporters what he thought of the scenario, he replied that it was the first he had heard of a provincially-funded casino in his town.

10 years ago: Two final options for the David Thompson and Charlotte Small statue project were being presented at the museum. While committee members would have the final say on which 10-foot tall statue would be erected, they wanted to hear the public’s opinions as to which statue they preferred.

5 years ago: Wildlife mortality rates along Hwy. 93 were steadily rising. Alan Dibb, wildlife advisor for Kootenay said that high rates of elk highway mortality in the 1980s had contributed to a severe population decline in the park, of which the species had been unable to recover from. In 2004, there were 9,000 animal related collisions on B.C. roads.